The Hindu Business Line : Have mercy on politicians

Politicians? Mercy? Are you out of your mind? Beyond any shadow of doubt, this will be the exclamation of the readers who, at the very mention of the word ‘politicians’, are apt to gnash their teeth. They cannot be blamed. Politicians are considered a disreputable lot everywhere. There is no parallel in any of the extant political commentaries to Lord Macaulay’s castigation of the breed of politicians in the 19th century Britain that they stood for “ ;whatsoever things are vile, whatsoever things are venal, whatsoever things are false, whatsoever things are dishonest, whatsoever things are unjust, whatsoever things are impure, whatsoever things are hateful, whatsoever things are of evil report, if there be any vice, if there be any infamy…”

The average Indian citizen will perhaps be delighted to add quite a few invectives of his own to embroider the above description. The general portrait of a politician in India is of a person who has no scruples, abuses his position and is corrupt to the core. Mention any major project of undoubted benefit to the country that he puts his weight behind, people immediately suspect his sole motive to be to make money. Even so gentle and moderate a person as H. M. Seervai thought Macalay’s condemnation to be relevant to present-day India and quoted it in his treatise The Constitutional Law of India. Mr Russi Mody also was at one time provoked to say, “There is nothing bad that happens in the country that cannot be laid at the doors of politicians.” Prominent public figures normally are discreet, but in private conversations you will find them equally scathing.

Are politicians any different from other classes of citizens? They seem to be, simply because the opportunities coming their way are more than in the case of others. Otherwise, remember, they are also born in the same messy way as other human beings, they belong to the same cultural stock and they have to contend with the same personal, familial and social obligations as others. In personal relations, you will find them as courteous, accommodating and helpful as you expect any civilised human being to be. Nowadays most of them are well-educated and have travelled widely within India and abroad, and genuinely desire to put their influence and power to use for the people’s well-being.

Healthy change

There are, of course, reprehensibly good many instances of black sheep who are out to plunder public exchequer and amass wealth by shady means. As sound democratic traditions take root, as people become more aware and alert, and as greater accountability and transparency are instilled in the working of public institutions, and e-governance becomes the order of the day, there is bound to be an improvement in the nature of politics and calibre of politicians too. After all, Britain’s politicians underwent a sea-change for the better within 50 years of Macaulay so virulently lambasting them. One can be sure that information technology and communications revolution will bring about a reformation much sooner.

Already, there are signs of a healthy change. Ms Mayawati’s ‘social engineering’ and Dr Ramadoss’ efforts towards regeneration of the youth and raising the standards of public life can be cited as examples. Politicians of the genre of Messrs. A. K. Antony, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Navin Patnayak, Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, regardless of their party affiliations, are emerging as new models of sincerity and public-spiritedness which would attract many more to their fold.

The primary responsibility for integrating politicians with the mainstream is that of the elites and intelligentsia. They can achieve dramatic improvement in the quality of politicians and elected representatives if only they move with them on a human plane in a spirit of understanding of the pulls and pressures on them.

B. S. RAGHAVAN

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